Two Broken Souls
by deenew27
Summary: They are two broken people, Clarice Fong has always been a rare beauty with her long black hair and jade eyes, but she has been abused. Now she's an artist and a yoga instructor. John Proudstar has always been a good man with a good heart, he's a former Marine with PTSD and works as a personal trainer and helps out at the community center for kids. What will happen? Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 First night

"Clarice get your ass down here now!" Lorna yells up the stairs. "What is so damn urgent for me to leave Magic Mike?" Clarice yells back from the top of the stairs. "We're going out now get dressed!" Lorna yells. Clarice rolls her eyes and goes back to her room removing _Magic Mike_ from her DVD player and putting it back in its case she walks to her closet and her jade eyes settle on a short all-black dress. Replacing her underwear, she puts it on. Nodding to herself in her full-length mirror she puts on some black heels grabs her phone from the nightstand and putting it in her purse with her ID and driver's license. She walks downstairs to find Lorna her best friend and roommate waiting on the couch. "Finally, a minute longer and I would have left you." Clarice rolls her eyes. "Whatever now where are we going?" She asks when they step out of their house into the warm California air.

Once they get into Lorna's dark green 2016 escalade. "We're going to the Honeycut. Sage and Sonia are meeting us there." Clarice rolled her eyes. "Great, now I have to be stuck with _her_ for a whole evening. And since when has Sage gone out?" Lorna laughs. "Since like never. Now let's go." She starts the engine and they head into town taking the freeway toward Downtown LA. The traffic is not as bad as it normally is on the weekends so their glad about that. Finding a parking space isn't all bad either they find a space that gives with just close enough to the entrance. Once they parked they head inside and see it's not so pack just yet. They find a round booth and take a seat.

"So, when do Sage and Sonia get here?" Clarice asks checking her phone. "Shouldn't be long now." Clarice nods. "I'm going to the bar you want anything?" Lorna is not paying attention to her she's got her eye on someone else. Clarice rolls her eyes and heads over to the bar. "I get a Caribbean Queen." The bartender nods looking at her ID then makes her drink. "Feeling like some royalty?" Clarice turns her head to see a sleazy guy who was ten drinks past drunk. She rolls her eyes not paying him any attention. He grabs her wrist and she pulls it back.

"Back off." A deep voice says from behind her the creep gulps then leaves. Clarice turns around. "Thanks, but I don't need some guy trying to fight my battles." She blushes when she sees his face. "Your right you can handle yourself pretty well." The bartender chooses that moment to set her drink down. "Well nice talking to you, but I left my friend alone." She takes a sip of her drink. "Is she the one with black with the green tips?" Clarice nods slowly. "Yeah she is." The attractive guy nods his head toward the booth she was just at. "Looks like my friend Marcos has taken your place." Clarice looks to see a man have a really close conversation with Lorna. Clarice sighs. "Well, in that case. Hi, I'm Clarice." She holds her hand out he shakes it. "I'm John." She slowly pulls her hand back. _John, it suits him._

"So, John what brings you here of all places?" She asks taking another sip of her drink. "Marcos, he, uh needed a night out after his ex-broke up with him when he caught her cheating." Clarice looks at the guy Marcos who's laughing at something Lorna just said. "What a bitch move." Her phone vibrates she looks at it and frowns. "Boyfriend cancelled on you?" Clarice laughs. "Yeah, no don't have one. Two of my other friends who were supposed to join us tonight just bailed." John smirks. "Is that really a bad thing?" Clarice smiles. "For them, not for me." He chuckles and then orders a beer. She feels a hand on her shoulder she flinches and turns around.

"Lorna what the hell!" She says. Her best friend laughs. "Sorry had to come over a stop you from drooling all over this guy." She says pointing to John he laughs. Clarice blushes. "I was not." Lorna rolls her eyes and orders a drink. "Meet Marcos." She introduces the guy she's been flirting with. Clarice shakes his hand. "I hope my friend John isn't boring you." He says. John rolls his eyes. "No, he's doing the opposite actually." Marcos nods giving his friend a pat on the shoulder. Lorna's drink arrives and she downs half of it, taking Marcos's hand and pulling him to the dancefloor. "Well, she sure is bold." John says. Clarice snorts. "That's an understatement." John takes a sip of his beer. An upbeat song comes on and she stands. "You want to dance?" He shakes his head. "I don't dance." Clarice shrugs. "Guard my drink." He nods as she makes her way to the dancefloor she can't find Lorna or that Marcos guy, but she doesn't care the she just moves her body to the beat. Her eyes on John as she dances.

She feels someone put their hands on her waist she spins around to find that same sleazy from earlier. She pushes him away. "Don't touch me." The man laughs and is about to reach for her again when another man pulls her into his arms. She's about to slap him, but realizes that it's John he winks and gives her drink to her. She blushes, but then wraps her arm around his neck. He looks down at her confused. "What are you doing?" She presses up against him. "Dancing." She says simply. "I told you I don't dance." Clarice shrugs. "Well, you should have thought about that before you intervened." She places his free hand on her waist then turns around. He gulps. "Don't think too much just feel." She feels him relax and start to move with her. Clarice turns around and runs her hand through his short black hair. He pulls her closer leaning his head down. She meets him halfway only to pull back when she hears Lorna laughing in her ear.

"How much has she had?" She looks at Marcos. He scratches the back of his neck. "Seven, I swear." Clarice shakes her head pulling Lorna off the dancefloor and to the bar so she could drop off her drink. They leave with the boys right behind them. Getting the keys out of Lorna's bag she opens the passenger door. Marcos straps Lorna in she giggles and kisses his cheek. He looks stunned, but he recovers closing the door. John smiles. "You're a great friend." She shrugs. "I try, she does not make it easy." It's quiet for a few minutes. "So, can I see you again?" John asks. Clarice smiles. "Sure, maybe grab a cup of coffee." He nods. "Yeah, that sounds great." Clarice grabs a piece of paper out of her bag and scribbles her number on it then hands it to him.

"Call me and we'll talk." She says with a wink turning to open her door only to have John spin her back around. He leans in and she pulls away. "Sorry, I don't kiss on the first night." He smirks. "Then I guess I'm gonna have to work for it." Clarice blushes and pulls away. "I guess so, goodnight John." He nods. "Goodnight Clarice." She opens the driver's side and gets in. "Hey, tell your friend Marcos not to worry." John smiles. "I will." She closes the door and starts the car and drives off. The whole way home Lorna is passed out, which is a good thing.

Once she pulls up the drive she puts the car in park and gets out and opens Lorna's door. With not much difficulty she holds her as she fishes her key out. Then closes the car door. When the doors unlocked she places Lorna on the couch and goes to get a trash can, two pain killers, and a glass of water. Lorna stirs. "Were back already where is Marxos? And that hawt guy you were talking to at the bar?" Clarice muffles her laughter and pats her friends shoulder. "Take these and go to sleep we'll talk about it in the morning." Lorna takes the painkillers and downs the entire glass of water before laying back down on the couch. Clarice gets two pillows and two blankets from the closet downstairs. Tossing her set on the lazy boy she places the blanket over Lorna and gently lifts her head to place the pillow under. Double checking to make sure the front and back doors are locked before she turns off the lights and curls up on the lazy boy and falls asleep.

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 _ **I couldn't resist, it was just too good. I had to do another one! So let me know what you think about it and if you liked it. Don't forget to F &F! Until next time...**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hi, again so this one is a bit longer than the last one._**

 ** _Let me know what you think of this chapter and the last._**

 ** _Now enough talk on with the story! Enjoy!_**

* * *

Chapter 2 The stray

Clarice wakes up the following Monday dreading the day. Christmas was yesterday and she and the girls had a great day. Sage had brought Sonia and Clarice bared her for as long as she could, and they ate a ton of food. Sonia was eager to know about the hot guys Lorna and I had met at the bar, but we remained quiet and Lorna for once didn't spill anything. They drank some more even though Lorna was still hungover, which was hilarious by the way, and then they watched some Christmas Classics. Once Sage and Sonia were both somber enough, they went back home. Clarice wished she didn't have to work today. Don't get her wrong, Clarice loves her job she just wishes she didn't have to get up so early to beat that California traffic. With a grumble she gets up and goes to take a shower she sighs as the warm water hits her skin. Grabbing her body wash she cleans up quickly and grabs her towel. Still slightly dripping wet she opens her closet and grabs her grey tank and her purple sweatpants and tosses them on her bed. She grabs a sports bra and underwear from her drawer then puts on the rest of her clothes.

Once her socks are on she grabs her shoes putting them on and races to Lorna's room. She opens her door and grabs a pillow from her bed then throws it at her. "Hey, wake up!" Lorna groans. "Go away." Clarice shakes her head. "You have to be at work in an hour. You know you can't be late again." Mumbling something under her breath Lorna gets up and glares at her. Clarice smiles right back and then leaves. She grabs her brush and combs out the tangles then places tie it back in a ponytail. She grabs her gym bag, phone/ charger, and her shades. She jogs down the steps after telling Lorna that she was leaving. She grabs a coffee and a bagel from the fridge and then opens her bag to get her keys.

Opening the door to her purple 2016 Toyota rav4 she tosses her bag in the passenger seat. She places her bagel in her lap and her coffee in the coaster then she pulls out of the driveway and takes off toward the freeway. She eats her bagel and smiles as she only has to deal with only a little traffic before getting to work. By the time she arrives she pulls into the staff parking which is gated off due to the alleyway behind her work. She parks drinks the last of her coffee and heads inside. _The Yoga Studio,_ once she's clocked in she takes her bags to her locker. She takes out her mat and water bottle before locking it back up. She goes to her studio to see what she's teaching today. _Alright, so I have a vinyasa alignment flow class in 10 minutes. An aerial yoga class with kids 5-10 and that's at noon. Finally, a hatha class at three and then that's it aside from some paperwork._ Nodding to herself she lays out her mat in the center.

About 8 minutes later students or first timers come through her door, along with a familiar face. "Hey." She looks up and sees John smiling down at her. "Hi, part of the group?" He nods. "Then please find a spot and place your mat down." She smiles. John does as instructed and places his mat a few feet to her right. Soon everyone is here she sits on her mat in the center legs crossed her students do the same. "Close your eyes and take a deep breath." She watches as they do so including John who gives her a smile before closing his eyes. She does so as well. After a while she tells them to open their eyes. They all stand and do the mountain pose she notices a woman with her shoulders tense. She moves toward her. "Relax your shoulders." She gently places her hands on the woman's shoulders to relax them. "Thank you." Clarice smiles and goes back to her mat. After a few minutes she switches to the tree pose. She sees a young boy struggle to keep his balance. "Switch to the foot you feel that can hold your weight." He does so and smiles back at her.

She then moves to the standing half forward bend and she feels John's eyes on her, but she can't focus on that right now. They do many other poses and it's almost time for this session to be over. She ends with the warrior pose. "Alright everyone, that is it for this session. If it your first time here and you would like to come back please tell Jubilee at the front desk. Namaste." She bows to then and they do the same before rolling up their mats and leaving. John stays behind. "You're a really great teacher." He says. Clarice smiles. "Thanks, so it this your first time coming?" John nods. "Yeah, it was nice not really much for yoga, but you made it more tolerable." She blushes. "So, what is your thing?" He smiles. "Why don't we go grab a bite and then I'll tell you." Clarice rolls her eyes, but smiles. "Well my next session won't start for a few hours. Fine, but I pick the place." John smirks. "Sure."

Clarice rolls up her mat and grabs her water bottle, she clocks out and they take his grey 2016 jeep renegade. They head into town and it takes a few tries before Clarice makes up her mind on where she wants to eat. _Rojoz Wraps and Smoothies._ "Have you ever been here?" John asks when he puts his car in park. Clarice shakes her head. "Nope, but there's a first time for everything." John smiles at her enthusiasm they get out and go inside. They take a seat and a waiter named Pietro gives them a menu with a smile. "So, what are you getting?" John asks. Clarice shrugs. "I don't know it all looks so good." John nods. "I think I'm going with a Steak Taco with a Power Blend." Clarice nods. "Okay then, I'll get a Chicken Quesadilla with a Fruitlcious smoothie." John chuckles. "What? It's on the menu." Soon their waiter comes back and he gets their order.

"So, what is it that you do?" Clarice asks. "I'm a personal trainer, and I help out anyway I can at the community center." Clarice nods. "That's nice." _It's so much more than that he's too much._ "Yeah, I don't go to work until 1 so, I'm just killing time." Clarice nods their waiter comes back with their smoothies setting them on the table before he leaves. "And you kill time, by coming to the yoga studio where I happen to work at?" She takes a sip of her smoothie. "I didn't know that you worked there, Marcos suggested it to me last night. He said I need to release some stress." Clarice looks at him curiously. "What has you so stressed out?" John sighs and looks at the table. "I'm a former Marine, I still have some issues with my PTSD." Clarice's eyes widen then she places her hand over his. "Thank you for your service." He looks at her and smiles then drinks some of his smoothie soon their waiter Pietro comes with their food he sets it down on the table with a smile then leaves. They eat in comfortable silence and its almost time before Clarice has to get back to work. Pietro comes back with the check. Clarice pulls out her purse. John places his hand over hers and shakes his head. "I asked you out, let me get this." Clarice blushes and gives a small nod.

They leave taking their smoothies with them. "Thank you for lunch, John." He smirks. "Your welcome." He pulls up at her work and stops his car. "So, can I see you again?" John asks. Clarice smiles. "Sure, you still have my number right?" He nods. "Yeah." She nods. "Great, so just call or text and we'll meet up." He nods again and gives her a smile. "Have fun with those kids." Clarice opens her door grabs her smoothie and gives him another smile. "I always do." Then she gets out and closes the door. She walks back in her work and after she clocks back in she goes to her locker to put her purse and phone back in her gym bag. Drinking the last of her smoothie she tosses the cup and grabbing her mat and goes back to her studio. The rest of her sessions go well the kids enjoy hanging upside down, though she did have to stop two kids from spinning too much. Her afternoon session ended with a at least five out of the 20 people falling asleep, but she didn't mind. Once that session is over she rolls up her mat and grabs her water bottle. She signs a few forms for her kid's session then heads to the locker room.

After locking up she says bye to her crew and ignores Jubilee's remarks about John. She clocks out and heads to her car. She backs up and drives over to push the button to open the gate. As she drives out she notices something moving in the alleyway. She moves so others members of her staff can get out. She gets out of her car and pulls the cardboard back. A dog lays under it with some dried blood on its coat and it looks thin. It whimper/growls at her. She holds her hands up. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help." Clarice moves a bit closer the dog moves away. She sighs, but keeps getting closer. She places her hand on its snot gently then she removes it to scoop the dog up in her arms. The dog let's out a painful whimper. Clarice moves to stand slowly so she doesn't cause it anymore pain. She was happy that she put one of the backseats down the other night. She opens the back door and places the dog down as gently as she possibly can. Then she looks at her hands to see fresh blood. Her eyes widen she quickly wipes her hands on her pants and gets in the front seat. She drives a bit over the speed limit, but she's not worried about that right now, all she cares about it the poor dog bleeding out in her backseat, and hoping that she's not too late.


End file.
